So this brings us back to the million dollar question, does carrying a rifle with 26 rounds of 6.5 Grendel have enough of a performance edge over 5.45 X 39 or 5.56 X 45 to warrant changing cartridges. If the reliability of the AK -12 and AK-74 were the same would the Russian military abandon the 5.45 X 39 for a 6.5 X 38 or a round similar to the 6.5 Grendel? I have to think the bean counters would intercede and say there is to negligible a difference to warrent the cost to change. I could see where it might have been adventagious for the Russians to go from 7.62 X 39 to 6.5 X 39 but since transitioning to the AK-74 I can't see the Russians changing to a 6.5 Grendel chambered AK-12. The AK-12 in 6.5 Grendel may garner significant sales to justify production but I doubt it will see wide scale adoption.
Unless an optimized new 6.5 caliber assault rifle cartridge that bridges the Gap between the 6.5 Grendel and the 6.5 Cr/6.5X47/260Remington is developed with a new rifle that is not required to use a STANG mag dimensions do I ever envision the West switching from the 5.56 X 45. The new rifle would have to be just a reliable as the M-16/M-4 with greater modularity to have a chance to be adopted IMHO.
Unless an optimized new 6.5 caliber assault rifle cartridge that bridges the Gap between the 6.5 Grendel and the 6.5 Cr/6.5X47/260Remington is developed with a new rifle that is not required to use a STANG mag dimensions do I ever envision the West switching from the 5.56 X 45. The new rifle would have to be just a reliable as the M-16/M-4 with greater modularity to have a chance to be adopted IMHO.